This is Spirit.
I met him one morning, around 10 am, when I was walking through the park.
I was in the middle of taking a really bad photo of a guy asleep on a park bench,
when I heard these two homeless guys yelling at me. So instead of ignoring them,
or walking away, I went over to talk to them.
One of the guys began reprimanding me, saying how rude it was to
take a man's picture while he was asleep. I said that in a public place,
like a park, anyone is fair game. He threateningly said I couldn't take his picture,
unless I gave him a dollar. He wasn't very nice, and it wasn't until a minute or
two into the exchange that I realized that he might try to rob me or something,
he was looking at me in a strange way.
But his friend was different.
He smiled at me, and said that a photograph of a person is a precious gift,
and that by taking a picture of someone, you are taking a piece of that person with you.
So I asked him if I could take his picture, he agreed and I snapped this image,
forever holding a piece of him. The sun was harsh, but I only had a moment to shoot.
He told me his name was Spirit,
and he instructed me to never forget him.
I certainly won't.
Agitated, his mean friend had already walked away,
so after I took his picture, Spirit ran to catch up with him.
